It's Always Been You
by MeliTales
Summary: The war is over and Harry emerged victorious. He's finding it hard to adjust to this after war life, while Ginny is expecting them to get back together, Harry on the other hand is feeling something else for someone he had thought he would never feel that way. He wants "peace", this fanfiction is about where he will find what he wants. And what is exactly that he wants!
1. Prologue

Hello, my name is Megha and I am fan of Harry Potter book series. Harry, Hermione, Draco, Ron, Snape, Voldemort (Tom) and Luna being my favourite characters, I love Harry-Hermione, Draco-Hermione, Tom-Hermione and sometime Harry-Luna as a couple. There are characters that I couldn't connect with. No matter how and what they are, I just couldn't find a connection and one such character is Ginny.

I don't hate the character but I don't like it either. I seriously prefer Harry and Hermione together as a couple. That's why I am gonna write this fan fiction because this will give me the peace that I want, the satisfaction that at-least somewhere Harry and Hermione are together as a couple.

Apologies for the mistakes in advance. So here's the prologue and it is quite random :: I hope you'll like it ::

* * *

PROLOGUE

"I knew you would be here."

Harry didn't turn around, didn't ask anything because he knows that Hermione know him more than anyone even himself. So he didn't need to hide those uncontrollable tears that flowed down his cheeks. He just sat there, head bowed down, shoulders slumped, just tired. He was tired of playing the role of the saviour, the boy-who-lived, the man-who-conquered. Harry wanted peace.

Without saying anything Hermione sat beside Harry and hooked her arm with his and laid her head on his shoulder. She didn't ask any question, she didn't have to. She knew Harry needed peace, he needed the security, the love that he never got during his childhood. She just sat there close to him, just by his side, giving him her silent support and waiting for him to say something.

Harry placed his hand over hers and sighed, "This isn't what I had imagined it to be." Hermione intertwined their fingers, "I had thought that after this ends, that after we defeat Voldemort I will get the peace, the contentment that I wanted. I thought I will be happy but surprisingly I am not. It just doesn't feel right."

Hermione smiled softly and raised her head to face Harry, "I am not surprised you feel that way Harry. I feel the same." Hermione's statement made Harry gaze into her beautiful chocolate colored eyes, "For seven years our lives revolved around fighting and trying to defeat Voldemort and now that he is no more, it seems as if time has stopped. Everything slowed down and the sudden change is so overwhelming. It's been two months since that day and it still..." Hermione closed her eyes and laid her head back on Harry's shoulder, "This doesn't feel home to me too."

Harry wanted to say something but before he could utter even one word he heard Ginny calling him, "Harry! Come on inside everybody is waiting for you!" that made Harry sigh again. He didn't want to go inside the Burrow to celebrate his win over Voldemort, the win of light over dark.

Almost everybody was there celebrating their win in the Second Wizarding War. The late celebrations owed to the first two months of grieving, mourning and adjusting to the changes that the war brought. They won but at the cost of the lives of their loved ones and Harry felt responsible for all those who were now dead. He didn't feel like celebrating with the burden of numerous deaths heavy on his heart.

"Come with me?" Harry asked kissing the top of Hermione's head.

Hermione raised her head from his shoulder and replied, "I don't feel like going back inside."

Harry smiled and held her hands in his tightly, "I am not talking about going inside the Burrow. Will you come with me to some place quiet and peaceful? Just the two of us." His tone was almost pleading.

Hermione smiled softly, "I'll go anywhere with you." She said.


	2. Chapter-1

_**Hey! I am back with the first chapter that took me just an hour to write but a whole day to think about. I just wrote whatever came to my mind that moment because this being the base chapter I was a bit confused as to what I should write. I hope this chapter is likable and will be interesting to you.**_

 _ **Regards**_

 ** _Megha :)_**

* * *

 **Chapter - 1**

"Where are we?" was what Hermione asked after she had taken a good look at the extremely gorgeous, luxurious yet homey apartment that she had Harry at apparated at. The walls were painted a light shade of blue almost like that of sky and cream. The woodwork, the furniture, everything felt natural as if all those things were meant to be there. Hermione couldn't describe the way she felt about this apartment but if asked to describe it in one word, she would say "incredible".

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the nervous energy leave him at Hermione's approval of his new apartment that he had bought just a month back. He wanted a new place not too far from the wizarding world but not too close either. After going through few options he had chosen this apartment keeping in mind his best friends Hermione and Ron. For years it's just been the three of them, his family and he wanted a place where the three of them could spend some "alone" quality time.

War had affected the three of them the most, all these years they had just each other to depend on and it was natural that even after the war was over Harry, Hermione and Ron felt the most comfortable in each other's company. But more than that Harry wanted Hermione to be the first person he wanted to show his new apartment to and the mini library that he had set up especially for Hermione. A belated birthday gift.

"Oh Harry!" Harry grinned widely at Hermione's excited tone. "Found the library, huh?" he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist hugging her from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"This is wonderful Harry! Who's place is this?" Hermione asked making no effort to move out of the embrace.

"I bought this a month back, for us. You, me and Ron. And this particular area is for you, think of it as a belated birthday gift." He kissed her cheek. "You like it?" he asked.

"Harry! I love it. This place is so..so.." she couldn't find the right word. "I know" Harry grinned, "this place is so... _us_."

"Yeah." Said Hermione voicing her agreement.

* * *

"Ron have you seen Harry? He is nowhere to be found." Ginny asked. Half an hour back she had seen Harry and had asked him to come inside and enjoy the party but he didn't.

"Go look for Mione, Harry will be around." Ron chuckled. It's always been like this for the past few years. Though Ron is Harry's best friend and also the first one but Hermione was something else, something more for Harry. He may come off as an immature prat sometimes but he clearly wasn't as dense Harry and Hermione because he noticed what his two best friends were oblivious of. That being one of the many reasons he had broken up with Hermione. Though the break up was mutual but Ron had more reason to do that than Hermione.

Ginny frowned, "Why did you say that? Hermione might be somewhere around but I assure you Harry isn't."

Ron looked up from his plate of his favorite blueberry pancakes and said, "Have you seen Hermione around? Are you sure she's here?" getting no answer from Ginny, Ron continued, "Gin you know Harry is recovering, hell we are all recovering the after effects of war and you know that it's more hard for Harry and it's Hermione who he trusts the most and depends upon. Harry needs normalcy and Hermione can give him that."

"But you are their friend too and Harry is my boyfriend so he should come to me for such stuff and not.." Ron cut in between and said, " _Ex-boyfriend_ Ginny. He broke up with you remember?! And you don't know what we had to go through this past year so you can't understand." Ron's voice was soft as he remembered their time during the Horcrux hunt.

"Then why can't you guys tell me about it? I am sure I will understand if you try tell me about whatever happened!" Ginny exclaimed a little loudly but Ron didn't lose his temper. He placed a gentle hand on his sister's shoulder and said, "Ginny there are scars that neither me, Hermione nor Harry want to talk about forget a full-fledged discussion. Don't scratch them, please." Saying that Ron walked away leaving a scowling Ginny alone in the kitchen. Huffing out a breath she picked up a tray of glasses filled with fruit punch and walked out to serve.

* * *

Harry and Hermione sat snuggled on the couch. While Hermione read a book, Harry on the other hand just sat there content on having Hermione in his arms. A faint pop had them looking in a particular direction, it was Ron.

Ron grinned at the sight that greeted him. He almost laughed at the thought that harry had once described Hermione as a sister, oh how dense can this great wizard be! An hour back he had gotten a message from Harry about his and Hermione's whereabouts so he wrapped up the party as quickly as he could without giving rise to Ginny's suspicions and apparated at the address mentioned in the message.

"Wow! This place is pretty cool!" Ron said as he plopped on the sofa seat adjacent to the couch. Hermione closed her book and placed it aside, "Is everything okay back at the Burrow? We left all of a sudden without informing anyone..."

Ron smiled at his best friend, "It's okay Mione, nobody asked or said anything. The party went well."

"So this is yours I assume?" Ron asked Harry.

"Not mine." Harry grinned widely, "It's ours. I don't own this property alone, we three own it together."

"But I didn't pay for it." Hermione frowned looking up at Harry who rolled his eyes and replied, "You don't have to Mione! I have money enough that my great great great grand-kids can live a luxurious life!" Harry said in a dramatic way.

"But Harry.." Harry silenced Hermione's protest with a kiss on top of her head and said, "You two are my family Mione. They only people that I am close to, on whom I can depend upon so can't I do something for my family? You two are the most important to me so I am allowed to do such things."

That kinda countered all of Hermione's protest, well how she could protest when Harry put it that way. She was family, they were a close knit family. So she just shook her head, a smile on her face as she clutched onto Harry's arm and laid her head on his shoulder who in return pulled her closer to him if that was even possible.

And again Ron thought about how stupid his friends can be, one the most powerful wizard and the other the brightest witch of her age and both of them totally unaware of the reality of their relationship. It was fascinating, amusing, as well as irritating and completely annoying at the same time that always made Ron wanting to shake both his friends hard and spell some sense in them. But then at the end he would always choose to let it happen the natural way.

He listened to Harry's whisper about the upcoming Quidditch game making sure his voice was low enough so that Hermione won't be disturbed as she slept soundly. Ron shook his head lightly and decided to give his friends a month's time. If they didn't realize themselves that he will do something to make them realize that what they are to each other. That would prevent numerous other problems from arising.

* * *

I really hope that you enjoyed reading the chapter. :D

 _Coming up next Ron, hermione and Harry discuss about future prospects._


End file.
